Three babies died at a Pennsylvania hospital due to the preparation of donor breast milk. According to CNN, Geisinger Medical Center in Danville discovered the infection in July. The cause of infection was pseudomonas bacteria that live and grow in water. Three babies died, and five fell sick in the past two months. All infected babies were prematurely born. Four babies have recovered, and one is still on the treatment. The first baby suffering from pseudomonas was an older infant. Doctors successfully treated the infant. The baby is now healthy.
Pseudomonas grows in water and widely occurs in an environment. The human immune system can typically resist these bacteria. An average healthy person can only develop a mild infection. However, premature babies and older people have a fragile immune system. Hence, they quickly become victims of bacteria. It is essential to receive treatment against pseudomonas as soon as possible. Pseudomonas can spread through contaminated equipment. It can also spread via the hands of the hospital’s co-worker. Hence, hospital hygiene maintenance is essential.
Geisinger concluded that the exposure came from the process they were using to prepare breast milk. Moreover, the primary reason was the equipment they use to measure the milk. Geisinger added they are now using single-use equipment to measure the milk. They are applying different techniques to reduce cases of infection. The hospital is performing chlorination in water lines along with the cleaning of a neonatal intensive care unit. There are no more cases of this infection now. Geisinger medical center apologized to the families for their loss. They are performing cleaning operations in the center to ensure this health department visited the hospital to check the cleansing policies of the hospital. The health center is sending mothers delivering premature babies to another hospital for now. Geisinger will resume the treatment soon.
